Guwahati based startup Maati Center providing stage for local handicrafts and products.

Maati Centre is not only a space for non-profits to sell their handicrafts, it also enables artists to share their insights and craft through various initiatives and events.
Husband-wife duo Rishi Raj Sarmah and Pabitra Lama Sarmah run the social enterprise Maati Centre in Guwahati. The space is a platform for artists and non-profits to share their stories along with selling their handicrafts. Rishi answers a few questions about their entrepreneurial journey.
How the idea of Maati Centre come to you?
Rishi Raj Sarmah: We started the journey almost nine years back, both my wife and I were quite interested in travelling to villages across India, we started visiting various NGOs and small groups which are engaged in developing a sustainable income though handmade products.
It was a dream to do something with these stories and many of our friends and neighbours were curious to know from where we have collected these colourful products which we generally sourced for our own use. So we started to stock three to four pieces of these unique products and slowly people started buying from us for their personal use or mostly gifting.